It was really heartening to see so many people on the first day of STEP. It shows that there are people who have a passion for the Lord and are willing to forgo their holidays to know more about Him and the Presbyterian. On top of that, even though we were strangers, we were open, honest and willing to share our stories with each other on the first day. I believe we Christians are called to live to be Christ-like to bring forward the kingdom through us into the world. I felt I had a glimpse of that within this program.
It’s nice and all that but it struck me that I was in an ideal Christian community (a utopia) not found within the larger church community. The youths I met and got to know are not the ‘real’ people I’ll meet in a local church. Even though the feelings and people are real, it is the community we strive to become but not the type I’ll be serving in.
The STEP gathered like-minded youths who love God and have a burning passion for Him. It is a good thing as we gather to exchange our ideas on theologies, discusses issues we face in life and pray for each other. However these feelings are all an illusion as our community are far from being represented by these youths. It saddens me that this is not the type of fellowship I see in my own school or church. In usual circumstances, we aren’t so open to share the difficulties we have in life.
In theory, we (youths in STEP and people in church) are all Christians and body of the Christ. Then why are we behaving differently? Why let the usual circumstances be different from the ideal community described in the bible?
These are important questions for the leaders to ponder and come up with practical ways to transform the church. Hope that God will use us greatly and let all of us here be the sparks that will start the renewal in our various ministries/churches.
Peter Fu
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